Finds that Erikson's model of ego development fails to see the relationship between individual crises and the modern postmetaphysical world view, where the meaning of life is in question. Suggests that Erikson's description of crisis and ego integration remains sound but should be tied to the specific problems associated with living in modern…

Compared sex role characteristics and related personality traits in four age groups of women. In general, younger women were least like the traditional feminine sex role stereotype; they were more willing to ascribe masculine sex role characteristics to themselves. Older women adhered most strongly to conventional feminine traits. (JAC)

Creates framework through which everyday experiences of psychological time might be interpreted. Elaborates on Raynor's concept of time-linked sources of self-identity to include intergenerational-linked and timeless sources of self-identity in quest to feel good about oneself. Includes case examples of how eight elderly persons viewed their…

Studied sex role self-concept and convergence of sex roles in later life. Young, middle-aged, and older adults rated themselves on Bem Sex Role Inventory items, describing themselves at age 20, 45, and 70. Both men and women evidenced high masculine self descriptions related to middle age. (Author/JAC)

Uses a criticism of "objectivistic" approaches to aging and identity as a vehicle for a phenomenological rethinking of those topics. Suggests a theory of identity, properly understood, is already a theory of aging. Concludes that this approach overcomes the parallel problems of objectivism versus subjectivism and biologism versus…

This study investigated adulthood predictors of health-promoting behavior in later aging. The participants were 162 members of the Terman Study of the Gifted (Terman et al., 1925), who responded in 1999 at an average age of 86 to a mailout questionnaire which included questions concerning their positive health behavior. Adulthood variables were…

Using data from the 1992 and 1994 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), this study described reasons reported by pre- and early-retirement populations for perceived changes in global health status over a 2-year period. It then analyzed the association between self-perceptions of change and the actual changes in objective health…

Since the global item of subjective health has emerged as a strong predictor of important health outcomes such as mortality, there have been many attempts to uncover its correlates. In this study, we tested whether personality as assessed via the five-factor model of personality predicted subjective health when physician-rated health and…